'This makes me very sad': Ontario auto theft victim believes a child was involved
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child → make → ?
A Windsor mother says it's shocking to her that a preteen boy was likely involved in stealing her car
West Windsor resident Dalubuhle Sibanda says she didn't want to believe it when she saw it on home surveillance video: That a prepubescent boy was likely involved in the theft of her family's vehicle.
"This makes me very sad.
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me → say → vehicle
It also makes me feel very angry, because I don't want that for any child," said Sibanda, who noticed the boy when she reviewed the camera footage after her car was stolen.
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car → make → footage
The crime happened on the evening of Sept. 14.
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crime → happen → Sept.
Sibanda says it began with the young boy — she estimates around 10 years old — approaching and befriending her three children as they played in the front yard of their home.
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they → say → home
Surveillance video shows child entering the house
The boy joined the other kids for several minutes, bouncing a basketball and sitting on the porch of the residence.
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boy → show → residence
"I don't know him," Sibanda said.
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Sibanda → know → him
Then the surveillance camera recorded the boy lingering around the front door.
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boy → record → door
At a carefully chosen moment, the boy slipped inside the house.
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boy → choose → house
CBC has viewed the surveillance camera footage from Sibanda's home.
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CBC → view → home
Sibanda thinks that's when he took the car keys, which were hanging on a peg near the door.
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which → think → door
Minutes later, a surveillance camera at the back of the home recorded the boy running away.
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boy → record → home
Sibanda said she and her husband didn't realize the keys were missing for hours — and they thought, at first, that the keys had simply been misplaced.
But later that night, a neighbour's surveillance camera recorded a group of male youths approaching and observing Sibanda's home.
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group → say → home
Windsor police are investigating
"I believe that [the boy] took our car keys and gave them to someone else, and that person is the one who stole our car," Sibanda said.
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Sibanda → investigate → car
Sibanda reported the theft to police and submitted her video evidence.
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Sibanda → report → evidence
The Windsor Police Service has confirmed to CBC Windsor it is investigating, but did not confirm the details Sibanda shared with CBC.
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Sibanda → confirm → CBC
Sibanda said that since the incident, she has spoken to neighbours who also had their cars stolen — and they have similar stories about how it happened.
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it → say → stories
"Our car is the third car that was taken in the space of two weeks," Sibanda said.
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Sibanda → take → weeks
Yetunde Oloye, who's also a west end resident, said her car was stolen at the start of the month, although later recovered.
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car → say → month
She also believes the culprits were children — specifically, two boys she discovered inside the doorway of her home on Sept. 1.
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she → believe → Sept.
She estimates they were 12 or 13 years old.
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they → estimate → ?
The government needs to find something to do about it," Oloye said.
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Oloye → need → it
Oloye said she knows one of the boys lives in her neighbourhood.
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one → say → neighbourhood
She questions why action hasn't been taken against him.
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action → question → him
"The police said, 'He's a minor.'
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He → say → ?
That's a criminal to me," she said.
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she → say → me
"Maybe they should jail their parents.
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they → jail → parents
They are not training their children very well.
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They → train → children
So the parents should be in jail by now."
At a recent meeting of the Windsor Police Services board, Deputy Chief Kenneth Cribley pointed to a statistical increase in youth crime in the city — not only in terms of the number of incidents, but in the severity of the offences.
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Cribley → point → offences
Earlier this month, Windsor police arrested and charged two boys — ages 12 and 13 — in connection with multiple vehicle thefts and attempted thefts that occurred in July and August.
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that → arrest → July
The two boys are facing a total of 48 charges.
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boys → face → charges
Joanna Conrad, executive director of Essex County Youth Diversion, said her organization has also been seeing a disturbing trend this year: an increase in referrals from Windsor police for children from six to 11 years old.
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organization → say → children
"And every year, it seems to be getting more and more," Conrad said.
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Conrad → seem → ?
"We're seeing younger children more often, and young children engaging in severe activities."
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We → see → activities
Essex County Youth Diversion deals with individuals ages six to 26.
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Diversion → deal → individuals
Its youth justice program is meant to act as early intervention, using extrajudicial measures or sanctions to change behaviour and foster accountability.
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program → mean → accountability
Conrad noted that the Criminal Code of Canada states no one under the age of 12 can be convicted of an offence.
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one → note → offence
"When I think of a child that's engaging in that type of behaviour, my immediate reaction is 'where is he learning this from?'
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he → think → this
That is learned behaviour, and it is something he clearly has been educated on," Conrad said.
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Conrad → learn → That
How is he learning those mechanisms?"
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he → learn → mechanisms
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
